It's official: Phil Jackson joining Knicks front office

GREENBURGH, N.Y. - In the glitzy transformation of Madison Square Garden, all of the money spent on the Chase Bridges and the accoutrements of the high-priced seats couldn’t buy what it was missing most - championship rings.

After weeks of speculation, rumors and anticipation that might seem like a short wait after years of suffering, the Knicks finally agreed to terms with Phil Jackson to join the front office, bringing along his 13 championship rings.

The Knicks announced a press conference for Tuesday morning - one day ahead of a planned fan protest. Jackson’s arrival will provide a measure of credibility to an organization that has been lost for more than a decade, one positive season a year ago disintegrating in a nightmarish season now.

“He has a winning pedigree that's unmatched,” Amar’e Stoudemire said. “So to have that type of leadership around would be awesome.”

Jackson has never actually held a front office position and despite talk of a $15 million per year payday coming there are concerns. He is 68 years old, has already undergone three joint replacements with another one coming and is happily living on a ranch in Montana and a beachside home in Playa Del Rey, California that he shares with his girlfriend, Jeanie Buss, who runs the Lakers with her brother, Jim.

In the Knicks he inherits a dysfunctional organization helmed by an owner, James Dolan, who has been meddlesome at times and outright domineering at others. The star player, Carmelo Anthony, will be a free agent this summer and the rest of the roster is flawed, mostly overpaid and locked in place. There are no draft picks this year and on the trade front, Jackson made a lot of enemies during his years as a coach of the Bulls and Lakers.

The most important task might be a sit down with Anthony, who he certainly needs in place next year, but to whom he also has a few things to explain.

Jackson has written books and been open in his criticism of just about everyone, including his star players. And in an interview with HBO two years ago he said he wouldn’t have coached the Knicks if they offered, explaining, “There's just too much work that has to be done with that team. You know? It's just not quite-- it's clumsy. It's a little bit of a clumsy team. ... They don't fit together well. Stoudemire doesn't fit together well with Carmelo. Stoudemire's a really good player. But he's gotta play in a certain system and a way. Carmelo has to be a better passer. And the ball can’t stop every time it hits his hands.”

Anthony admitted he’s heard the critique.

“Maybe at that time I was shooting the ball a little bit too much,” Anthony said. “I really don’t know what to say or how to respond to those comments. In the past I’ve heard Phil said some things about me. But I don’t take it personal. I don’t take it no way. At that point he was just another guy who had an opinion.”

Anthony will await the more personal opinion now - and Jackson will also need to convince him that if he stays in New York he will have a shot at the championship that is now the missing item on his resume.

Asked if he thought Jackson could help the Knicks move toward a title, Anthony left the door open.

“I’m hoping. I believe so,” he said. “But like I said that’s something I’ll have to sit down and really figure out at the end of the season, think about it. At the end of the day when that time comes we’re talking about spending these next … the end of my career in one place. When that time comes we’ll discuss that.”